How art allows us to grow beyond our boundaries - Matt Smith, the Harrogate Art Fair

It can be a challenge for both established and emerging artists to get their work out there and get feedback particularly if they are not supplying a gallery. For the fair, independent artists and galleries are vetted and curated to ensure that the standards are high and there is very much something to suit all tastes.

For each fair we support a local charity as a way of putting back into the community and as a way of making art affordable for all. The Harrogate Art Fair will be supporting the Martin House Children’s Hospice who will have a stand at the fair offering small original artwork from exhibiting artists at a minimum donation of £50. This display of artwork is also a great way to get a snapshot of what is on offer at the fair.

This is the first time we will be hosting an art fair in the north of England. There’s a lot of art fairs in and around London but not as many in the north. Bringing our event to Harrogate has really opened us up to new exhibitors and visitors alike.

Harrogate is a thriving cultural place, and we want the Harrogate Art Fair to enhance and be part of that, as well as adding to the Harrogate and Yorkshire heritage. A destiny for art that people remember by the place they visit year after year.

The Yorkshire Event Centre is a lovely Building with creative architecture, making it a work of art in itself, as well as having the latest facilities, being spacious with natural daylight and a single span roof. There is ample free onsite parking at the venue which is easy to get to with access to a good road network that can service visitors travelling from the wider area.

We have got a great selection of galleries and artists who are looking forward to displaying their best and latest work, as well as engaging with visitors and sharing some of the secrets that lie behind their masterpieces. This is a unique opportunity to speak with the artist, giving a new experience and dimension to buying and collecting art.

Exhibitors will be travelling to the fair all parts of the UK, including Aberdeenshire, Suffolk, East Sussex, Devon and Wales as well as some of Yorkshire’s finest.

This includes sculptor Ollie Holman who’s well-known for crafting exquisite horse sculptures in metal and will have his £12,500 horse sculpture made from hand-beaten car panels on sale. There will also be a range of work from Ollie for all different prices at the Bils & Rye stand which is a Harrogate-based gallery.

I’ve always been in art since I was 19. The Harrogate Art Fair came about after working with artists and art lovers for nearly 30 years in Yorkshire and around the UK, as well as experience gained from operating both the Windsor and Surrey Art Fairs. We did the art supplies as we make canvases for artists, and we got involved when we sponsored the Contemporary Art Fairs which started in Windsor back in 2008. We took over in 2020 and haven’t looked back. We are so looking forward to the Harrogate Art Fair and bringing more great artists to the area.

As a little treat Filey Bay Single Malt Whisky, Wensleydale Spirit Co. will be joining the fair for sampling and sales of their Yorkshire drinks.

Matt Smith is the owner of Contemporary Art Fairs and runs the Harrogate Art Fair.